Ja'net Esparza - Soccer Coach - Mississippi State

Ja'net Esparza

Title:
Assistant Coach
Email:
jesparza@athletics.msstate.edu

PLAYING
EXPERIENCE:

Forward, UTEP (1996-99)

COACHING
EXPERIENCE:

* 2000: Graduate Assistant Coach, Texas-El Paso (2000)
* 2001: Assistant Coach, Texas-El Paso
* 2002: Assistant Coach, Birmingham Southern
* 2003-present: Assistant Coach, Mississippi State
* Has also served coaching stints with U-15 Birmingham (AL) Attack,U-14 El Paso (TX) Force and state of
Alabama Olympic Development Program

HONORS:

* Four-time all-Western Athletic Conference selection (1996-99)
* Two-time WAC academic honor roll selection (1998 & 1999)
* 1996 WAC Freshman of the Year
* 1999 Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Athlete award recipient
* Currently holds multiple school records at UTEP, including shots (169), goals (25), points (64) and game-winning goals (9)

Beginning her seventh year as a collegiate soccer coach, Ja'net Esparza enters her fourth season at MSU, as well as her fourth working alongside Neil Macdonald, officially joining the Mississippi State staff on July 28, 2003.

Esparza's duties include, but are not limited to, on-field instruction, day-to-day operations and recruiting. Esparza is also the coordinator of all Mississippi State Soccer Camps. She brings with her volumes of expertise in the areas of offensive coaching, student-athlete recruiting and program administration, as well as solid experience as a player.

"I feel that Iam incredibly lucky to have Ja'net here at Mississippi State," Macdonald said. "She has an incredibly warm personality and is equally adored and respected by both the players and staff. She has the ability to create that family atmosphere that is important to any program and also makes very good observations about the game as well from a coaching standpoint. Because she has obviously played at a very high level of soccer, she has the abilities to translate that experience into her coaching. She is so valuable to this program and keeps it running at a high level each and every day."

Noted by UTEP as possibly the greatest women's soccer player in school history, Esparza holds virtually every offensive record at the institution, including shots (169), goals (25), points (64) and game-winning goals (9). She was a four-time member of the WAC all-conference squad, three times selected to the first squad. and was twice selected to the league's academic honor roll. She was also the recipient of a handful of team awards as well, taking home Top Gun honors (team's leading scorer) as a sophomore, junior and senior.

In 1996, she was named WAC Freshman of the Year and, following the 1999 season, received the Arthur Ashe Jr. Scholar Athlete award. Her team's combined record over her final two seasons in El Paso was an impressive 21-14-4.

Following her playing career with the Miners, Esparza joined on to the UTEP coaching staff as a graduate assistant prior to the 2000 season, then became a full time staff member for the 2001 campaign. Prior to the 2002 campaign, she earned a stint as an assistant coach with Birmingham Southern and helped lead the Panthers' first year Division I program to a respectable 5-11-2 record.

Over the course of the past two years, she has acquired two stints as a club coach as well, including being named head coach of the U-15 Birmingham Attack Soccer Club and assistant coach for the U-14 El Paso Force Soccer Club. She has also served coaching stints with the Alabama Olympic Development Program, as well as a camp clinician for the UTEP Soccer Camps.

The El Paso native graduated from UTEPin 1999 with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology. She is currently finishing work on her Master's degree in that subject, at MSU. She currently holds her United States Soccer Federation "C" coaching license. She is also entering her fourth season as a coach with the state of Mississippi Olympic Development Program. Esparza has also been involved in the training of the Starkville Challenge U10 girls team.

"I am both honored and excited about the future of the Mississippi State Soccer program," Esparza said. "Iam also privileged to have such an outstanding relationship with Neil Macdonald having worked alongside him for three years already. We continue to strive as a staff to recruit top-level athletes and as we look to contend for top spots in the SEC on a consistent basis.

"I am really excited about the prospects of this season and am looking forward to a bright and promising future for the MSU Soccer program."

Born Oct. 19, 1976, in El Paso, Esparza stepped into the competitive arena as a standout at J.M. Hanks High School where she earned four consecutive first team all-district accolades.

The daughter of John and Irma of El Paso, Texas, Ja'net also has an older brother, Johnnie, as well as two nephews, Aaron and Jacob.